75 mph speed limit for rural highways stalls

A package of bills to allow speeds of up to 80 miles an hour on rural highways in Michigan has stalled in the state House. A key bill in the package came a few votes short, which stopped the rest of the bills because none can become law if they all aren’t passed.

Supporters like state Representative Brad Jacobsen say they’ll regroup and try again soon.

He says people are already traveling faster than the current 70 mile-an-hour limit.

“We’re already going 75 miles an hour,” he says. “We’ve got safer cars than we ever have. Doesn’t it makes sense? People drive the speed they feel safe on the road. Our roads are designed for 75 miles an hour.”

Although the bills allow for an 80-mile-an-hour limit, highways would have to be re-built to qualify for the 80-mile-an-hour limit, says Jacobsen. And no speed limit could be increased on a stretch of road without a traffic study.

But opponents like state Representative Marilyn Lane says now is not the time to increase the speed limit. She says a faster speed limit could lead to more traffic deaths.

“Hitting potholes is not a good thing. Hitting a pothole at 70 miles an hour is not good,” she says. “Is hitting potholes at 80 miles an hour a better ideal? I think not.”

House leaders say the legislation could be taken up again as soon as next week. The state Senate is also looking at proposals to increase speed limits.

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State lawmakers say they’ve reached a deal to increase speed limits on some Michigan roadways.

On Tuesday, a state House panel is expected to vote on bills that could set speed limits on some highways as high as 75 miles-per-hour. The bipartisan bills would set speed limits based on studies that show how fast most drivers already travel.

Lawmakers were considering going as high as 80 miles-per-hour. But that plan stalled – in part due to safety concerns.

Speed limits may change for Michigan's rural highways: the legislature is looking at raising them to 80 miles an hour.

State Rep. Brad Jacobsen (R-Oxford) introduced the bill earlier this month to make 80 mph the new speed limit on all highways designated "rural in nature" by the state police and the transportation department.

But that's still a long ways off - first, the bill has to get approval from the house transportation committee.